Pier Angeli (19 June 1932 – 10 September 1971)[1] was an Italian-born television and film actress. Her American cinematographic debut was in the starring role of the 1951 film Teresa, for which she won a Golden Globe Award. Twenty years later she was chosen to play a part in The Godfather, but died before filming began.

During the 1960s and until 1970, Angeli returned to live and work in Britain and Europe. She performed opposite Richard Attenborough in The Angry Silence (1960) and was reunited with Stewart Granger for Sodom and Gomorrah (1963), in which she played Lot's wife. She had a brief role in the war epic Battle of the Bulge (1965). 1968 found Angeli in Israel, top billed in Every Bastard a King, about events during that nation's recent war. She was cast in The Godfather, but she died soon before filming.

For a short time, Angeli also had a romantic relationship with James Dean; however, she broke off the relationship and went on to marry singer and actor Vic Damone (1954–1958).[3] Her marriage to Damone ended in divorce, followed by highly publicized court battles for the custody of their one son, Perry Farinola Damone. Her second marriage was to Italian composer Armando Trovaioli (1962–1969), with whom she had another son, Andrew.